FL S1644

Raises the age threshold for child victim hearsay statements from 11 to 16 years old, allowing out-of-court statements describing abuse or sexual offenses to be admissible in evidence under specified reliability conditions.

Creates a new expunction process allowing human trafficking victims to petition courts to expunge criminal convictions for offenses committed as part of their trafficking scheme, excluding crimes listed in s. 775.084(1)(b)1.

Establishes that official documentation of human trafficking victim status creates a presumption of eligibility for expunction, while cases without documentation require clear and convincing evidence; determination of petitions proceeds by preponderance of evidence.

Permits expunged individuals to lawfully deny arrests covered by the expunged record (except when applying for criminal justice employment or in criminal prosecutions) and prohibits perjury liability for such denials.

Appropriates $99,275 in nonrecurring funds to the Department of Law Enforcement for programming costs, with implementation beginning January 1, 2014, though agencies have until March 1, 2014 before being required to comply with expungement orders.